Food waste disposer with outer wrapper

ABSTRACT

A food waste disposer unit is provided with a removable and replaceable one-piece outer shell. The outer shell is a semirigid resilient vibration-absorbing cover formed from a foamed polymeric resinous material such as foamed polyurethane. The shell has inner and outer closed surfaces or skins defining a cellular core therebetween and is provided with a top to bottom separation through the side wall thereof to permit it to be temporarily deformed whereby it can be positioned in snug fitting relationship about the food waste disposer unit.

United States Patent 1191 Sapienza June 4, 1974 1 1 FOOD WASTE DISPOSER WITH OUTER 3.144.213 8/1964 Hedland 241/46 B WRAPPER 3,286,936 11/1966 McMahon 241/1005 Inventor: James J. Sapienza, Louisville, Ky.

Assignee: General Electric Company,

Louisville, Ky.

Filed: Dec. 26, 1972 Appl. No.: 318,032'

US. Cl 241/46 B Int. Cl. B02c 18/40 Field of Search 241/46 B, 46.08, 46.17,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1960 Jordan 241/257 G 7/1964 Yartz et a1. 24l/46.17

Primary Examiner-Granville Y. Custer, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Francis H. Boos, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT 5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to apparatus for the disposal of food waste and the like and particularly pertains to a molded plastic one-piece shell or wrapper which is formed to enwrap the major portion of a food waste disposer unit.

The typical food waste disposer unit includes a vertically extending generally tubular hopper having a top access opening for receiving water and waste material therethrough from a sink drain sleeve in sealed flow communication therewith. The disposer has rotatable grinding means disposed within the lower end or grinding chamber of the hopper. An electrically driven motor beneath the grinding chamber is operatively connected to drive the grinding means. An effluent 'drain line is connected between the grinding chamber and the household sewage system for carrying off the water and entrained food waste therefrom.

It is becoming more and more common for manufacturers of food waste disposers to provide a light weight cover or shell that fits over the disposer housing after installation. The cover may serve the purpose of improving the'outside appearance of the installed disposer by adding color'or design thereto and giving the disposer a more attractive symmetrical appearance. Such a cover also may serve the purpose of absorbing sound and other vibration from the operating disposer. For the latter purpose the cover is generally spaced outwardly from the disposer housing whereby dead air space is defined therebetween. Alternatively, provision may be made for insertion of loose insulating material in the space between the disposer housing and the wrapper. Typical of wrappers of the prior art is a onepiece molded plastic hinged appearance cover adapted 'to be disposed about a food waste disposer in spaced apart relation therewith as taught in US. Pat. No. 3,141,622, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. A wrapper made up of a plurality of pieces and utilizing sound absorbent material between its inside surface andthe disposer body is disclosed in US. Pat. No. 2,965,318.

The present invention comprehends an improved one-piece foamed polymeric resinous material shell or wrapper for-enclosing a food waste disposer wherein such characteristics as'symmetry, appearance design, and vibration absorption are inherent in the wrapper construction. I

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, a food waste disposer assembly includes a disposerunit having a grinding chamber with a grinding means therein, a motor means below the chamber for driving the grinding means, a tubular hopper extending above the chamber with means connecting it in communication with a sink drain opening, and a removable and replaceable one-piece outershell or wrapper surrounding the unit whereby the hopper. grinding chamber and at least some of the motor means are substantially enclosed The foamed plastic structure of the shell has a cellular inner portion and a closed outer skin preferably formed in a generally symmetrical configuration. The inner surface or skin of the shell is molded to generally conform to the disposer body shape whereby it is mounted in substantially snug relation around the disposer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a domestic food waste disposer shown inits mounted position in communication with the drain opening of a sink and having an outer shell or wrapper affixed thereabout; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the outer shell or wrapper first shown in FIG. 1, having a portion thereof cut away to illustrate the inside configuration thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. I there is shown a domestic food waste disposer 10 comprising an upper end waste receiving hopper 1 I, a waste grinding chamber 12 having a rotatable grinding ring 14 mounted therein, and a lower end electric drive motor 16 contained in a housing 18. The disposer 10 is suspended beneath a sink 20 by means of a mounting assembly 22 that joins the upper end of the hopper 11 in sealed drain flow communication with a sink drain sleeve 24.

The disposer 10 may be of a known commercially availabletype wherein food waste and garbage items are introduced from the sink and downwardly through the drain sleeve 24 and thence into the hopper 11 for pulverization in the chamber 12 by means of the rotating grinding mechanism 14. Proper operation of the disposer 10 requires that a continuous stream of cold water beprovided in the sink 20 to flow downwardly through the drain sleeve 24 and into the grinding cham ber 12 whereby the pulverized food waste can be drained off through a downwardly disposed side channel 26 that leads from the grinding chamber 12 to the household sewage system. An opening 28 is provided in the side wall of the hopper- 11 which is flanged for sealed fluid flow connection for a drainage conduit (not shown) leading from a dishwashing machine. The opening 28 may alternatively be plugged for operation of the disposer in lieu of connecting it to a dishwashing machine Shown encasing the major portion of the disposer 10 is a substantially thick decorative vibration-absorbing shell or wrapper 30. The shell 30 is of a semi-rigid uni- I partite construction and it is moldablyformed to have generally tubular configuration, as shown in FIG. 2, from a foamed plastic, preferably expanded polyurethane. The shell 30 is a semi-rigid yet flexible and resilient structure having a cellular inner portion 32 throughout that is sandwiched between a smooth closed outer surface or skin 34 and a closed inside surthereby. The outer shell is a generally tubular foamed plastic semi-rigid unipartite structure having a longitudinal side wall separation or split permitting temporary deformation of the shell for the purpose of permitting it to be installed on the disposer or removed therefrom.

groove 42 to conform to a clamping band 44 that joins i the lower end of the hopper 11 to the housing of the I motor 16. The shell 30 has a lower end 46 that is slimmed to a relatively narrow silhouette as compared to the intermediate area 40. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the lower end of the shell 30 terminates on a line upwardly adjacent the lower end of the disposer 10.

The unipartite or one-piece shell 30 is provided with a generally longitudinal splitor separation parting line 48 that extends from the upper end 38 of the shell 30 and downwardly through the side wall thereof to the shell bottom whereby the shell may be temporarily deformed by flexing it open to pull it around the disposer. Once the shell is in position about the disposer it closes therearound to its unflexed shape, snugly conforming to the outer surface of the disposer body.

The shell 30 thus serves the dual function of a sound and vibration absorbing jacket and as an attractive appearance cover for the disposer. The inner cellular structure 32 that occupies the entire area sandwiched between the outer skin 34 and the inner skin 36 provides an excellent insulating or absorption characteristic to the shell 30. Further, the outer skin 34 may be moldably formed to have any of a wide choice of textures or surface designs that appear to be embossed into the appearance surface. The only interruption in the symmetry of the outer appearance surface 34 of the shell 30 is occasioned by the need to provide rounded slots 50and 52 at each separation edge on both sides of the parting line 48 to accomodate the respective openings 26 and 28. As shown in FIG. 2, an arcuate slot 50 is provided along the parting line 48 which registers with a mirror-image arcuate slot 50 on the other side of the line 48 when the shell 30 is disposed about the disposer 10. Similarly, the slot 52 registers with a mirror-image opposite slot 52 to encircle the opening 26 when the shell 30 is in position on the disposer 10. Means may be provided at a point along the parting line 48, such as a fastening tab 54, to maintain the two parting line edges of the shell 30 in firm contact and thereby prevent inadvertent shifting of the shell 30 on the disposer 10.

I claim:

l. A food waste disposer assembly comprising: a. a grinding chamber with a grinding means therein,

b. motor means operably connected below the chamber for driving the grinding means,

c. a hopper above the chamber, in flow communication therewith and means for connecting the hopper to a sink drain opening.

d. a removable and replaceable one-piece foamed polymeric resinous material outer shell surrounding the hopper, grinding chamber and at least a portion of the motor means, said outer shell being a resilient, flexible, unipartite structure having a sidewall separation extending generally from top to bottom thereof permitting temporary deformation thereof for the purpose of installation and removal of said shell with respect to said disposer,

e. and the outer shell terminating at a level below the grinding chamber.

2. The assembly of claim 1, and the wrapper being expanded polyurethane.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the wrapper has at least one opening through the side wall thereof, and the split intersects the opening.

4. A decorative vibration-absorbing wrapper for a food waste disposer comprising:

a. a generally tubular foamed plastic semi-rigid unipartite structure having a side wall separation extending generally from top to bottom thereof permitting temporary deformation thereof for the purpose of installation of the wrapper on the disposer or removal therefrom,

b. the wrapper having a cellular inner structure and a closed outer skin formed in a generally symmetricalconfiguration, and

c. an inner surface molded to generally conform to the disposer body shape whereby the wrapper is supported in substantially close relation thereon.

5. The invention of claim 4 further comprising means for holding the separation inabutting relationship when the wrapper is supported on the disposer. 

1. A food waste disposer assembly comprising: a. a grinding chamber with a grinding means therein, b. motor means operably connected below the chamber for driving the grinding means, c. a hopper above the chamber, in flow communication therewith and means for connecting the hopper to a sink drain opening, d. a removable and replaceable one-piece foamed polymeric resinous material outer shell surrounding the hopper, grinding chamber and at least a portion of the motor means, said outer shell being a resilient, flexible, unipartite structure having a sidewall separation extending generally from top to bottom thereof permitting temporary deformation thereof for the purpose of installation and removal of said shell with respect to said disposer, e. and the outer shell terminating at a level below the grinding chamber.
 2. The assembly of claim 1, and the wrapper being expanded polyurethane.
 3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the wrapper has at least one opening through the side wall thereof, and the split intersects the opening.
 4. A decorative vibration-absorbing wrapper for a food waste disposer comprising: a. a generally tubular foamed plastic semi-rigid unipartite structure having a side wall separation extending generally from top to bottom thereof permitting temporary deformation thereof for the purpose of installation of the wrapper on the disposer or removal therefrom, b. the wrapper having a cellular inner structure and a closed outer skin formed in a generally symmetrical configuration, and c. an inner surface molded to generally conform to the disposer body shape whereby the wrapper is supported in substantially close relation thereon.
 5. The invention of claim 4 further comprising means for holding the separation in abutting relationship when the wrapper is supported on the disposer. 